Mind Your Manners: Online Auction Etiquette

Online auctions require a high level of trust between buyers and sellers. As a result, reputable auction sites enforce strict rules and invest a great deal of time and effort to avoid illegal or fraudulent

Shill Game
One of the most serious auction offenses is called shilling, where a member assumes a false identity or uses a third party to inflate the selling price. Fraudulently inflating a member rating at an auction site also qualifies as shilling. In addition to being grounds for immediate expulsion from most auction sites, shilling is a form of fraud and is considered a criminal offense.

It is also illegal to post false or misleading product descriptions or pictures. This includes selling used or reconditioned items as new; making false claims about a product's specifications; or switching brand-name items with off-market substitutes.